Jarrell lands first offer

K.J. Jarrell had a strong showing at the Rivals Camp Series Presented by Under Armour in Las Vegas two months ago and has caught the attention of a few schools this spring evaluation period.

On Thursday night, the 2017 safety from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro landed his first scholarship offer from UCLA.

"It means a lot to me," Jarrell said. "I've been working hard for this. The offer came unexpectedly, so I'm pretty excited right now. It was my first time talking to them after we sent them some film. I talked to coach Meat (Demetrice Martin), the defensive backs coach, and he's excited to recruit me."

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound prospect doesn't know much about the Bruins beyond what teammate Byron Murphy has told him. Murphy, for what it's worth, has held UCLA in high regard for quite some time and that appears to have rubbed off on Jarrell.

"I don't know much about UCLA yet, but I'm going to go out there when Byron visits next," Jarrell said. "I haven't planned anything yet, but I know I'll be out there. I know Byron has thought very highly of UCLA and he's told me a lot about it. He likes the coaching staff and the area around the campus, and that's something I look forward to seeing for myself."

Arizona is another school that has expressed interest in Jarrell, who visited the Wildcats alongside Murphy for their junior day recently.

"So far, I really like U of A," Jarrell said. "I love their coaching staff and I love their defense. I went out there and really liked the campus and learning about the program. Coach (Charlie) Ragle is recruiting me and we have a good relationship."

Jarrell was credited with 13 total tackles, two interceptions and two pass deflections in nine games as a sophomore last season. He also caught four passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.